“Hey. How are you?”
“I’m, you know, whatever. What’s going on there?”
Nic considered how much to tell him. He needed to keep his shit together. Junior year was important.
“I met with the woman.”
Nic told him about Officer Reyes, and how he’d punched holes through Edith Moore’s story.
“So she’s like the other assholes? After the money?” he asked.
“Everyone wants the money. That doesn’t mean she isn’t telling the truth about the truck. She would be pretty stupid to make up a story that Mom would know was a lie.”
Evan was silent then.
She shouldn’t have gone down that path. He was coming to the same conclusion she had earlier with Reyes, after they’d left Edith Moore at the Gas n’ Go. If their mother was dead, she wouldn’t be able to refute any story. And there was money to be had, dead or alive.
“Ev—I think she did see Mom,” Nic said, changing the subject. Giving him hope. “Do you remember how she always waved at us, when she couldn’t get our attention?”
“Both arms over the head? Like she was working the tarmac at JFK?”
Nic smiled. “Yeah. It was ridiculous, right?”
“Can I tell you something?”
“Of course, Ev. What is it?”
“She did that at the game. She didn’t know I saw her, but after we scored a touchdown, she was standing and cheering and waving like that and it pissed me off because she looked so stupid.”
He could barely get out the last few words.
“Maybe she did know, Evan. Maybe she knew you saw her and that even though it pissed you off, it was because you know how much she loves you.”
“I guess. What made you think about that? The way she waves at us?” Evan asked.
“Edith Moore said that’s how she waved down this truck. And she even had her purse in one hand, so it was flying in the air as well.”
Evan’s voice was lighter now. “Usually it was with her phone in her hand. It was fucking ridiculous! We told her to stop.”
“I know! We did. Even Dad told her. She was so embarrassing.”
Nic felt her throat tighten with these thoughts, these memories, of their mother.
“And she saw the letters on the purse. That was never released to the press.”
“So she really saw her? She saw Mom that night?” His voice trailed off at the end. Was he crying? Had she made him cry?
“Ev…”
“Can you find the truck? Maybe she said something, told someone why she didn’t come home.” His words sounded fragile, their syllables broken.
“I’m trying, Ev. That’s why I’m here. Why I’m staying.”
“Okay… fuck. I mean, fuck this, Nic! Where is she?”
“I don’t know…” Nic tried to stay calm, keep her voice steady so she could stop him from unraveling. But it was too late.
“Why? What the fuck! Why did she leave us?”
